Army suicides hit a record high in July

Updated 1:50 am, Friday, August 17, 2012

The Army said Thursday that 38 soldiers committed suicide in July, the highest monthly mark since it began keeping records.

"Suicide is the toughest enemy I have faced in my 37 years in the Army," the Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, said in a prepared statement.

Suicides have plagued the armed forces for years. They began to rise amid repeated tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, with about two-thirds of all deaths occurring among those who have been deployed at least once.

Army Sgt. Sean Greany served in Afghanistan during President Barack Obama's surge, returning home in late 2010. Struggling to sleep and often having nightmares, he was put on trazodone.

The drug is an antidepressant used to treat sleep disorders, but it also can cause anxiety, panic attacks and depression. Greany, 28, of La Plata, Md., fatally poisoned himself on April 11, 2011.

"In the end he was just like very terrified, he got more aggressive, agitated and all he got was trazodone," his mother, Petra Patterson of Hughesville, Md., said, adding that he was never monitored while on the medication.

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120 confirmed this year

The highest number of suicides has occurred over the years at the nation's largest and busiest posts, and the July figures reflect the trend. Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne, leads the Army this year with 13 deaths.

Fort Hood had 12, and set a record for Army suicides just two years ago, with 22. It leads all posts with 122 GIs taking their lives since 2003.

So far this year, the Army has recorded 187 possible suicides in the active-duty and reserve component, with 120 of those confirmed. Most of the cases have occurred among active-duty soldiers, with 116 dying.

The deaths have come despite Army leaders instituting a variety of programs, some intended to strengthen the resiliency of stressed-out soldiers and families.

'Toxic' leaders

One advocate said the Army's approach wasn't working, in part because of program failures and "toxic" leaders who in some cases have suggested that suicide is a weakness. In a blog post early this year, Fort Bliss commander Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard called suicide "an absolutely selfish act."

Pittard apologized after widespread criticism.

Kim Ruocco, suicide support coordinator for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, said such attitudes deter some from getting help. She also said she didn't understand the Army's focus on resilience and problem-solving skills.

"I think it's more than that," said Ruocco, whose husband, a Marine aviator and Iraq War veteran, killed himself. "We have troops that have been in war for 10 years, a lot of them are very sick and very injured, and need immediate, comprehensive quality care.

"There are a lot of programs out there, but there's a lot of gaps between programs, they're not offering them quick enough, there's still long wait times to be seen and the treatment they're getting is not necessarily caring for their injury."